Spring shade-roller



9m. oo

.w .R D... Tm SR.. PB MD nh-A H KS .G Bm .n DfS 9.

IHK/Erika? N. mens'. mmsmwlnpnn wamimm. ne.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL E. KEHPSTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

sPmNesHADE-ROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,159, dated July 18,1882.

Application lcd March 27, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern a citizen of the United States, residing atBoston, in the county ot' Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain newand useful Improvements in SpringShade-Rollers; andI do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the followingspecitication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates particularly to spring shade-rollers of that classon which, while a spiral spring in the roller is arranged to raise theshade, the latter is normally held in place by an automatic stop orcatch, which does not prevent its being lowered bythe hand or raised bythe spring if moved rapidly, but which, if the shade is raised slowly,comes into action and prevents its further elevation. Hereto- 1 foresuch automatic locks have been made of pawls, catches, and otherdevices, which are objectionable on account of their liability to getout of order and the expense ot' their manufacture, aswell as a verygreat objection they have of bein gliable tolock when the shade isentirely unwound from the roller, and thus leaving no means of releasingthe lock only by removing the roller from its brackets.

The object of my invention is to provide a more simple and eicientcatch, which can be manufactured at less expense, will be more durableand less liable to getout of order, and also which can be released whenthe shade has been entirely unwound from the roller and allowed to catchor lock. I attain these objects by means of the simple mechanism shownin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an end elevation ofthe fixture. Figs.'2 and 3 are a similar view with the roller removedfrom its supporting-brackets, its metallic cap e removed, and itsspindle being in section on the line x m in Fig. 4, and shows the shapeof that portion of the spindle which eugages with the lockingplate, alsoshows the shape of the locking-plate and the grooved roller end e. Fig.2 shows the position of the sliding locking-plate when the roller isunlocked and the shade entirely unwound from the roller. Fig. 3 showsthe position of the locking-plate when the roller is locked. Fig. 4 is afront elevation, partly in section. Fig.

5 represents the locking-plate G in side and end elevation. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the roller, showing the metallic end cap removed.Fig. 7 is a plan view of the spindle end B.

Let A A represent the brackets for supporting the shade-roller, thelatter ot' which is a closed bracket with a round pivot-hole, and theformer an open bracket formed with a notch, a, for the reception ot` theroller-spindle B. This spindle is flattened near the end, and is alsoprovided with a lip, b, on one side of the ilattened portion. This lipfits into one side of the notch c and insures the roller being placedright side up in the bracket. C is the shade-roller, supported at oneend by the spindle B, which projects into it, and at the other by apivot-plate, b', engaging the hole in the bracket A. The spindle Benters the roller i'ar enough to have coiled around it a helical spring,D, of sufticient length to give the shade the necessary play. Thisspring is Xed at one end to the roller and at the other to the spindle,so that as the roller is rotated on the spindle when the shade is beinglowered the spring is wound up.

The construction thus far described is common to spring shade-rollersand forms no part ot' my present invention.

E is the shade-roller-end c \p,and eits outer metallic cap.

.F is the shade. The point ot' attachment of the latter to the roller isshown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6 at H.

The spindle end ofthe rollerend cap E is grooved, e', as shown in Figs.2, 3, 4, and 6, which also shows locking-plate G formed with a slot, andwith a notch, g, in one end of said slot, and arranged to slidevertically in said grooved roller end and lock the roller when the shadeis caused to ascend slowly, but will not so lock when ascending rapidly,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The portion of the spindle B which comeswithin the slotted lockingplate is flattened on the side b" next to thenotch g in plate G. The effect of this construction is as follows: Whenthe shade is drawn down suiiiciently to allow thesliding plate Gtogravitate into the position shown in Fig. 2 the roller will be unlocked.The shade may now be allowed to ascend rapidly to any desired height, asthe locking-plate Gr will not have suicient IOO time to change itsposition and lock the roller under a rapid revolution of the same. It'itis desired to lock the roller at any point, it is merely necessary toslow up the revolution ot' the same, when the locking-plate will bygravitation reverse its position and the notch g will engage the fiatside 11 of the spindle B, and thus lock the roller, as shown in Fig. 3.Vhen the shade is fully unwound the parts will occupythe position shownin Fig. 2, the notched portion of the locking-plate G being under thespindle B. In thisposition, it will be observed, the roller must revolvea half-revolution before the plate G will be reversed and the notch gengage with the attened portion b of the spindle, as shown in Fig. 3.Now, the line ofV attachment of the shade to the rolleris coincident, ornearly so, with the notched end ot the lockingplate G. Hence when theshade is drawn down 'its entire length and allowed to lock there isalways a suiiicient amount of the shade rewound upon the roller to admitof drawing down the former and revolving the latter sufficient to bringthe parts into the position shown in Fig. 2 and unlock the roller. Theadvantage of this 4is the inconvenience can never occur ot` having toremove the roller from its brackets and rewind an amount of'shadesufticient to draw down to release the lock,as is frequentlythecase with certain rollers. To insure the proper attachment of the shadeto the roller the tacking-lineof the roller should be marked on thelatter coincident with the notched end of the locking-plate G, as shownin Figs. 2, 3, and 6 at H.

The locking portion b of the spindle B is made parallel with thebracket-notches b 1)4, (shown in Fig. 7,) by which arrangement I am ableto cut or mill all the said notches or iiattened surfaces b b3 b4 at onesingle operation. Herctofore shade-rollers of this class have occasionedconsiderable trouble by the lock jarring out in the packing ortransportation and allowing the spring to become unwound. ThisliabilityI have entirely overcome by inaking that portion of the notch gin the plate G which comes in contact with the at side b of the spindleB a little hooking. By so doingl the tension of the spring tends to holdthe locking-plate accurately in position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6.

I am aware ot United States Patents Nos.

'203,401 and 185,549, and I wish to state that I do not claim suchconstruction and arrangement as shown in said patents as my invention;but

Vhat I claim as my invention is- The slotted roller end e', withmetallic cap c, in combination with a sliding plate, G, having a slot,with a single notch, g, in one end only ot' said slot, and theflat-sided portion b of the spindle B, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The spindle B, formed with the tiat side b" for preventing the slowrotation of the roller in one direction, in combination with the singlenotched slotted sliding plate G g, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the spindle B, having the fiat side b, the rollerC, having end cap, E, with slotted cnd e', metallic cap c, and theslotted plate G, having a notch, g, in one end only. of said slot, theseveral parts being constructed and arranged for conjoint operation,substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination, the roller C and its slidi ing locking-plate G, andspindle B, with a marked tacking-line, H, on the outside of the roller,coinciding with the notched end of said locking-plate G, as set forth.

5. In a curtain-fixture or shade-roller, the spindle B, with its flatportion b, arranged parallel with the bracket-notches bablincornbination with the lip b for holding said spindle iight side up whenthe roller is in its brackets, as set forth.

In testimony whereof' I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DANIEL E. KEMPSTER.

Witnesses ALBAN ANDRN, HENRY CHADBOURN.

